William Harris (musician)
William Harris (*? Probably in Glendora , Mississippi ; †?) Was an early American blues singer and guitarist, about whose life very little is known. Stylistically, he is generally attributed to the Delta Blues and at times traveled through southern Mississippi as a dancer and entertainer with the minstrel show "FS Wolcott's Rabbit Minstrels", which was stationed in Port Gibson .
A total of nine recordings are known of Harris, made in two recording sessions. The first was on July 18, 1927 in Birmingham , Alabama , where he recorded as singer and second guitarist with Joe Robinson and which probably came about by chance on the way; the second took place in Richmond , Indiana , October 9-11, 1928 .
Among the captured Harris pieces include Kansas City Blues , which previously Jim Jackson had recorded, and Hot Blues , a reworking of previously by Frank Stokes and Papa Charlie Jackson recorded piece Take Me Back . The Kansas City Blues was later released on sub- labels of the Gennett record label under the pseudonym Alonso Boone , and four other tracks under the name Bud Johnson .
After the second session, the trail of William Harris is lost. Copies of his records are extremely rare; In addition to the ten known songs, he has recorded six more, but they are considered lost.
His Bullfrog Blues has been covered by a number of musicians, including John Hammond , Dave "Snaker" Ray , Canned Heat , the John Dummer Blues Band , Rory Gallagher and David Bromberg .
Songs (as far as known)
- I'm leaving town
- Kansas City Blues
- Kitchen Range Blues
- Keep Your Man Out of Birmingham
- Electric Chair Blues (Jefferson County Blues)
- Bullfrog Blues
- Leavin 'Here Blues
- Early mornin 'blues
- Hot time blues
- Bad Treated Blues
Discography
- "William Harris & Buddy Boy Hawkins - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1927–1929)", 1991, DOCD 5035, (due to the small size of the surviving work as a joint edition together with the also scarce work by Buddy Boy Hawkins )
swell
- Paul Oliver , Liner Notes in the booklet for "William Harris & Buddy Boy Hawkins - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1927–1929)", 1991, DOCD 5035
- William Harris at Allmusic (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harris, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Boone, Alonso (pseudonym); Johnson, Bud (pseudonym) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 19th century or 20th century |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | unsure: Glendora , Mississippi , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | between 1928 and 2000 |